hi, i am just now changing my camshaft out in my 350. I had the engine at TDC before I did anything but in the coarse of removing the balancer the engine turned and now is not on TDC. now i have everything off all the way to the chain. I figured that I would try cranking it over to get to TDC. I felt air pushing out of cylinder one and the dots on the timing gears lined up with, the cam gear at 12 o clock and the crank gear at 12 o clock. Is there a way to tell if this is right? or what can I do to set the cam in correctly? when i put the new cam in, how should i set the gears in, where should the dots be? should i put the cam gear back in the same way, at 12 o clock? maybe crank the engine over more to line the dots up differently?

Rotate the engine over until the crank sprocket points at 12 o clock, then check to make sure the number 1 cylinder, which is the 1st cylinder on the drivers side is at top dead center. then install the camshaft, and then the timing sprocket on the cam point the cam dot at 6 o`clock, the dots will line up.

Get a crank socket and turn the motor over by hand it will be easier to line. If you're going to turn the motor over with the timing chain off back all the rocker arms nuts first. You're going to bend every valve in the engine one of these days.

Originally posted by fireforsin hi, i am just now changing my camshaft out in my 350. I had the engine at TDC before I did anything but in the coarse of removing the balancer the engine turned and now is not on TDC. now i have everything off all the way to the chain. I figured that I would try cranking it over to get to TDC. I felt air pushing out of cylinder one and the dots on the timing gears lined up with, the cam gear at 12 o clock and the crank gear at 12 o clock. Is there a way to tell if this is right? or what can I do to set the cam in correctly? when i put the new cam in, how should i set the gears in, where should the dots be? should i put the cam gear back in the same way, at 12 o clock? maybe crank the engine over more to line the dots up differently?

Thanks,
Mike

I am always amazed when anyone asks the above question. Doesn't anyone read the instructions anymore? Rather than explain it (or try to) , here is a link for you to go to. Read it, print it out, and follow it for a trouble free installation.

yes i read the instructions. I had the car at TDC i thought. when i took the timing cover off the cam gear dot was at 12 o clock and the crank gear was at 12 o clock. Can I just put the cam gear back on at 12 o clock because that is how i marked the distributor when i took it out? or should i just leave the engine the way it is and put the cam gear in with the dot at 6 o clock so they line up next to each other?
thanks,
mike

You can do it that way. It's just a little more difficult because the dot is now 6 inches further away. When the dots are pointing at each other they're only an inch or so apart so the margin of error is less. You can lay a ruler across from the dot on the crank gear, the center of the cam, to the dot on the cam gear to help line it up.
If it's apart (chain off) I wouldn't turn the motor over unless you back off the rockers. If you did you'd probably bend some valves.

your motor was 180 out from TDC.
there is no way to tell from the timing tab when ever you are lined up at zero or 180.
if you have removed the chain, i guess you could put it back on at the twelve. would'nt recommend that. gear timing might be off a tooth.

if you replace cam, you will have to pull distributor , so you will have to retime anyway

it would make me nuts...
i would back off all valves, will have to, to get new cam in anyway.
trust me, you don't want to bend any of them
pull the distributor
lube the cam before installing, with provided break in lube
get the crank socket, crank at 12, cam at 6.
make sure you use the right set of slots, if you get a roller with retard /advance keys.

Just put the crank dot at 12 o'clock and line up the cam dot. The crank does not care if it is on power or exhaust stroke. The cam determines that. If the dot on the crank is straight up 1 and 6 are at TDC. I guarantee it If you put the cam in with the dot up, #6 is at TDC compression stroke. If you put the dot down, #1 is TDC compression stroke. Kindof hard to understand at first, but it just does not matter where the engine was when you pulled the old cam. Just line the dots on the new one up and slap it together. Thing to remember is that the cam times the engine, not the crank.

Chris you beat me to it! As long as the #1 piston is at the top of its stroke, and the cam is out, there is no more "TDC" or "BDC." Just get it to the top of its stroke, and slide the cam in! Doesn't matter which stroke it is, the piston just moves up and down, and its cycle is twice that of the cam. I use a summit dial that bolts to the crank to get the piston to the top. You put a piston stop on the slug, turn it all the way till it hits (carefully and slowly), mark that position on the dial bolted to the crank, then turn the motor over the other way till it stops. The degree marker exactly half way between those two marks is true top stroke for your #1 slug. So if your two marks were 7 degrees apart from each other, turn it over till its on the 4th degree between the two marks you made. Got it?

okay, wow this is alot, thanks for everything. i just want to sum it up a bit into one post. tell me if i am wrong.

So right now the crank dot is at 12 o clock. I need to put the cam in with the cam gear dot right above the crank dot(6 o clock). This will make it at TDC of the #1 compression stroke. Now when i put the distributor back in I need to line the rotor up with the #1 cylinder.

I was just sorta confused on how to set the distributor in now that everything had moved from me removing the balancer. I had the distributor marked and everything but then everything moved so I wasn't sure if those marks would be right.

Sorry everything is so confusing, I just have alot on my mind so it kind of comes out scrambled lol.

Thanks,
Mike

while we are on the subject, when i get everything back together and ready to break in, what are the steps to timing it? I know you need to bring it up to 2500rpm, so then how do I find out what the timing is when it will be off the timing tab? I do have a timing light with the advance knob on the back. Do I unplug the vaccum advance? Etc...
THANKS!!
Mike

So right now the crank dot is at 12 o clock. I need to put the cam in with the cam gear dot right above the crank dot(6 o clock). This will make it at TDC of the #1 compression stroke. Now when i put the distributor back in I need to line the rotor up with the #1 cylinder.

if the crank dot is at 12 and the cam is at 6(pointing to each each other at the closest point)that is #1 TDC but thats exhaust stroke on #1 not compression.at that position,that would be #6 TDC compression.

don't think you have to worry about position as you put it in,since there are no lifters in it,slide it in and then turn it to whatever position you want to set it at.

well how i did it,(i just went through this myself)is i went ahead and set my marks.crank dot at 12 cam dot at 6.tightened it all down.
i then took a screw driver and turned the oil pump shaft until i found the spot where the distributer dropped in with rotor pointing to number 1 post on the cap.took me a couple tries,just turn it abit and try the distributor.you will get a feel for how much to turn it.the shaft is slotted and the distributor slips onto the slot.then i just put it all back together.
maybe someone knows another way but i found this to be the easiest for me.

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